Myth Buster: I won’t get pregnant if I…

“I won’t get pregnant if my partner pulls out before he ejaculates”

This is known as the withdrawal method and despite what you may have heard it does not protect you against pregnancy. Some sperm are a little more eager than others and can get released before the man climaxes. This is called pre-ejaculate. These eager sperm may fertilise the egg. Also, a man may not be able to accurately predict when he is going to finish and even if he can, he may be having too much fun to want to pull out. This is why 22% of the time, the withdrawal method will lead to an unwanted pregnancy. 

“I won’t get pregnant if we have sex standing up”

Sperm can swim against gravity so simply being in an upright position will not prevent them from reaching the egg. You can pregnant from any sexual intercourse position if you do not use contraception. 

“I won’t get pregnant if I wash after sex”

When a man ejaculates, the sperm move speedily and get deposited well into the vagina. After ejaculation, the sperm will be out of reach of water or other washing fluids. Also, soap and other washing solutions disrupt the delicate balance of your vagina so are not recommended to keep your vagina healthy. 

“I won’t get pregnant as I am on my period” 

Sperm can live inside you for up to 5 days so you can conceive after you have stopped menstruating. Also, no woman’s cycle is the same and may vary month-to-month due to different factors, such as stress. It is therefore almost impossible to predict when you will begin ovulating. 

“I won’t get pregnant because this is my first time having sex”

Any girl risks getting pregnant if they have unprotected sex, regardless if it is your first time or not. This is because a woman can get pregnant any time ovulation occurs. The sperm nor your eggs know that this is your first time

Stay safe and don’t believe any of these myths and misconceptions. The only way to prevent unwanted pregnancy is to use contraception. Be clever and protect yourself!